Now what?

Post Reply New Topic

For one thing.... problems with social skills aren't always the only issue people with ASDs have. Sometimes the social deficits aren't even the biggest problem and occasionally they are little or no problem at all.


With all due respect...your other idea here is highly questionable. While I have no doubt that a disproportionate number of students majoring in engineering/computers are aspies (undiagnosed and otherwise) I think half might be a bit of a stretch. I could be very wrong though and since i'm not aware of any reliable statistics about all this, there's no point in further speculation.

While plenty of people with undiagnosed ASDs do fine in college with no accomodations whatsoever, i'd say it's still a good idea to have an official Dx.

If you happen to be an ASD person who needs accommodations of any kind, you'll be hard-pressed to get any without a formal diagnosis. An ASD person may not require accommodations at one time, but that doesn't guarantee they won't need any at another.

Obviously....if you don't have a formal Dx you won't be able to receive accommodations from disabled students services.

If a person even suspects they have ANY kind of condition which could conceivably cause them problems in school, work, or life in general...i'd say it's in their best interest to get a formal diagnosis.

If problems in school/work...etc arise for a person due to any kind of medical condition, the "powers that be" won't even give you the time of day without one.

If you never need any kind of accomodations for a medical condition...great. But i'd say it's better to be prepared.

You're talking as if I don't have AS myself. I know aspergers is.



I wasn't stating a fact, it was just a semi-serious comment to reassure the OP that he won't be the only one in his year with social difficulties.



I am in college myself and have no accomodations. My school doesn't even know I have AS. A dx is great if you want one and can get one, but otherwise if the only other option for the OP is to sit at home, he may as well give it a shot. The college counselling service may already have protocols for students finding college difficult and NT or not, he will be able to avail of these.



I'm not denying that a diagnosis won't get him accomodations etc.., and you're right, 'be prepared' is a good motto to have, but I don't think a lack of diagnosis should hinder him from even giving it a shot. It's generally not a good mentality to spend life waiting for someone to give you a helping hand before you try something (I'm not trying to be offensive there, it's just something that I've noticed personally throughout the years). As I said, there are usually student support and counselling services available which can be quite good; as another poster said, they can actually refer people if they think they need external help.

lene wrote:

I made no assumptions in regards to your own issues. For all I knew, you could be neurotypical. I didn't bother to check your profile to see what your stated diagnosis is.

Are you saying that deficits in social interactions are only issues people with AS can manifest? The fact of the matter is that they are not ALWAYS the only manifestation of AS nor are they ALWAYS the most problematic ones. I certainly have problems with social skills, but they are by no means my most serious problems. While I was told I fit the general NVLD profile, many professionals consider NVLD to be one and the same with
Asperger's. The visual-spatial, executive functioning and motor deficits I have are FAR MORE problematic than my troubles with social interaction. These same deficits are common enough in people with a formal AS Dx.

I'm not trying to start a flame war with you here or something. I just think you're making some unwarranted assumptions about AS based upon your own personal experiences.


lene wrote:




Fair enough....but based upon the info the OP provided, I don't think we should assume his most significant issues are related to social difficulties. If that is indeed the case, his social difficulties may be more severe than your own and he might very well require accomodations. None of these things are outside the realm of possibility with AS and they're not even all that terribly uncommon.




lene wrote:






OK....YOU don't need accomodations due to any issues related to your AS. Your experience with AS is not everyone's experience with AS. Other people have AS-related issues like the aforementioned ones (and/or more severe social deficits than you have) and therefore may require accomodations. That's just a fact and there's really nothing else I can say about it. I never suggested the OP just "sit at home" if it's somehow impossible for him to get a Dx. I merely pointed out some diagnostic options for him which may be within his range of affordability. If for some reason, he can't find any that are, then by all means he should give college a shot. College counseling services alone may not be able to provide the necessary accomodations people with AS and other ASDs might require. For example....IF an AS/ASD student also has learning disabilities and cannot manage certain courses after making every reasonable effort to do so, they may be eligible for course substitutions. They WILL NOT be eligible unless they have a formal diagnosis and register with disabled student services. I believe you're in the UK and things may be different over there for all I know, but that's pretty much the way it works in the USA. Learning disabilities are common enough in people with AS and other ASDs and some students require accomodations for them which college counseling services alone cannot provide.



lene wrote:




No real disagreements here and again....I never implied a lack of Dx should stop him from entering college or doing anything else he wants to do. I just think that a formal Dx will only make life easier provided it's not too much of a burden (financially and/or otherwise) to receive one. I obviously have no idea what he would consider "too much of a burden". He has to do his own cost/benefit analysis, come to a subjective conclusion and decide accordingly.

Student support/counseling services can and do refer people if they believe they need external help.

The fundamental point i'm trying to get across to you is this: I think it's usually in one's best interest to go in with all your ducks in a row. If doing so would result in an unacceptable burden (financially and/or otherwise) then well....maybe it's not in one's best interest. Obviously only the individual can make that determination. I just thought i'd suggest some relatively affordable, or even free, diagnostic options. No hard feelings on my part, I just want you to understand where i'm coming from.

Neon304:

Horus, I see your point and I am not arguing against it. The OP himself is the one who has stated that he is worried that his options are to 'sit at home'. I was merely answering his statement and suggesting to him that this may not be the case.

I don't know any more about the OPs situation than you do, and I did not suggest that my own experience is universal. But I am of the mind that if he cannot afford to 'line up all his ducks in a row' there is no harm in trying and seeing how far he can get without it.

Obviously, you take a different view and that is fine; one of the benefits of posting questions in public forums is that you get a variety of answers to pick and chose from, but until the OP himself clarifies the situation a bit more, we cannot say for certain how exactly his condition affects him, whether it be socially or otherwise and all we can do is offer our own advice based on personal experience.



I'm a little confused. I never once stated that a diagnosis may not be beneficial to the OP. I merely said that he should not let his lack of one hold him back.

Well, do you really think a diagnosis would help you that much at school?

lene wrote

Actually I don't take a different view at all and i'm sorry if I didn't make that clear somehow.

I think a formal Dx would be in his best interest IF he can afford one. I'm not suggesting he should put off college UNTIL he gets one. All i'm saying is that I feel it would be wise to receive an official Dx ASAP when/if he can afford it. Thus...I really don't even see how we disagree all that much here.

I guess it's easy for things to get misinterpreted on the internet. It doesn't matter.